In The Image of God

Perhaps the most magnificent of all the golden nuggets of Scripture is given to us in the crowning glory of His vast creation, the creation of man in “His image” and “likeness.”

Upon accepting or rejecting this basic Biblical principle, man’s future destiny rests—not only our destiny but also the destiny of our nation and all mankind. How we view our relationship with God determines our entire system of values, accountabilities, and responsibilities. Anthropology studies are strongly influenced by anthropologists’ assumptions concerning the relationship between God and man.

In the first chapter of Genesis, verses 26 and 27, we read: “Then God said, Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness; let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over the cattle, over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth. So God created man in His own image; in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them” (NKJV).
First, we should consider the statement “Let Us make man.”  Here, the trinity of the Godhead is involved in our creation.  We should note that God the Father plans, God the Son implements, and God the Holy Spirit teaches.  It is the pre-incarnate Son of God, Jesus, who created us. ” All things were made through Him, and without Him, nothing was made that was made” (John 1:3, NKJV).

We should also note that “man” is a generic term, including both male and female.  Both man and woman were created in the “image of God.” They both possess equally all the attributes imputed to us in our creation.

What does “in our image, after our likeness” mean? Perhaps we will never fully comprehend all that our finite minds imply. Scholars have debated the implications for centuries and generally agree on two aspects. First, we were endowed with special features not shared by the animals; second, we were intended to share in managing God’s creation.

Man was created with the ability to reason, think abstractly, create (change the form of what God had previously created), and have fellowship with God.  The man was also given an eternal soul, spirit, and will.  Animals were not given a will and the ability to reason but were given the instinct to direct their actions.  We may think that our favorite pet is almost human and possesses great intelligence (some animals certainly give every impression). Still, they are simply reacting in response to their innate nature.  God placed basic rules in their genes to direct their lives.  To some degree, we could say that they are responding to a pre-coded program.  A study of animal instincts is enriching and fascinating and will strengthen our understanding of the supremacy of God’s infinite knowledge and unlimited power.

Why does a salmon swim two thousand miles upstream against the mighty forces of rushing water to return to its place of birth so that it may give birth and then die?  How does that salmon know the location?  Why does a bird fly south as winter approaches?  How does he know the way to return home?  Why do bees and ants have such a high social structure?  How do each know their special assignments and rules?  Who taught the beaver how to build dams?  The answer to each of these questions is instinct.  Every animal of a given species is pre-programmed to respond in a defined manner.  Every animal of a given species will react in virtually the same way because they each possess the exact instructions they are following, following the same program coded in their genes.

An animal will adapt to its environment, but man will change his environment.  Animals grow more fur when the weather turns cold, but man will build a fire or plan and install a heating system for use year after year.  This is one of the main features that separate animals and man.  God gave man the ability to be creative, a reflection of the same attribute that God himself possesses.  But there is a restriction: mankind is not God.  Mankind has limited power and can only change the form of what God has already created.  Man has never had and will never have the ability to create matter out of nothing.  God created matter and gave man authority to manipulate it and have dominion over it.

However, God retained absolute authority over His creation, including mankind.

We, unlike animals, are not pre-programmed to respond in a specifically defined manner.  We are free to write our programs and set our courses.  We can see things that are not seen except in our minds, believe (have faith) that these unseen things can and will come into being, and set physical things in motion to accomplish what was previously only a mental image.  Man has had visions of a tall building reaching into the sky, a long bridge supported by hanging cables, a horseless carriage, a machine that flies, and thousands of other previously unknown things.  He communicated his abstract perceptions to his fellow men, and, as a team, they brought those visions into physical form.  Today, we can all see the results of those visions and share the many benefits they have brought into our lives.

Each of us has received a marvelous gift.  You may not think you have creative abilities and may not be able to design airplanes or other mighty things, but you are creative.  We all daydream and remember fantasies we had as children.  The only difference is that some of us have suppressed our fantasies, and some of us have taken the opportunity to bring our fantasies to maturity.  Our lives reflect this ability through the little things in our lives and the ingenious ones.

By applying order and organization to his creative skills, man has created the complex, sophisticated, materialistic world we now live in. We witnessed a masterpiece exhibition of our combined talents when, in July 1969, Neil Armstrong set foot on the moon. His response: “A small step for man, a giant leap for mankind.” In nine short years, man became the vision of our late president, John F. Kennedy.

We are also equipped with the ability and desire to have fellowship with God.  The apostle Paul said we are created with three parts: a body, a soul, and a spirit.  “May your whole spirit, soul, and body be preserved blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ ” (I Thess. 5:23b).

Most of us have little trouble understanding our bodies because they are visible and demanding.  However, we have difficulty understanding the meaning of soul and spirit, which often appear interchangeably in Scripture. The soul seems to be the immaterial part of man, embodying the sensibilities, emotions, affection, desires, will, etc. It is the conscious eternal part of our being (see Ps. 42:1-6).

The spirit is the part of man that can contemplate and communicate with God, the part that knows and is capable of distinguishing. “For what man knows the things of a man except the spirit of the man in him” (1 Cor. 2:11a, NKJV)?  The soul is also eternal.

In the second chapter of Genesis, we are given the details of God’s creation of man. “And the Lord God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and man became a living being” (Gen. 2:7, NKJV).  

God formed the material part of our being (body) out of the dust of the earth. Interestingly, God limited his power in creating man’s body to the extent of the power that He would pass on to man himself.  We were formed from only about fifteen chemical elements that God had previously created, and man can use these same elements in his creations.  At this point, there is no life, the same state to which the body will return when the soul and spirit are removed in death.  It may be possible that someday, man can form a human body (or parts), but he will not be able to give it life. Only God can do that.  And God “breathed into his nostrils the breath of life and man became a living soul.”

The soul and spirit are the immaterial parts of our being transmitted from God himself. They are life itself and were not created but transmitted. Without the soul, the body is dead. Animals also have a soul because they have life, but they don’t have a spirit, and their souls may or may not be eternal.

Perhaps the most misunderstood part of us is the spirit, that part of our being that is the communication channel between God and our soul.  In Romans, in the eighth chapter, we read, “The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God” (Rom. 8:16, KJV).  Job said, “All the while my breath is in me, and the spirit of God is in my nostrils” (Job 27:3, KJV).  

Some scholars would tell me that defining the spirit as a channel of communication is an understatement and oversimplification, and they would be right.  But it is through this divine communication link with God, we can enjoy His fellowship and guidance.

Mankind was also created to have fellowship with God; when that relationship is broken, mankind is frustrated and confused. There is an intense thirst and search for something that is missing.  Nothing seems to bring complete happiness and fulfillment. The missing element is our fellowship with the One who made us. This relationship is broken when mankind turns to God’s creation for worship rather than to God.  When this happens, mankind creates their gods from the things that God has created.

The man was also created to have a life companion and partner. “Then the Lord God said, It is not good for the man to be alone; I will make him a helper suitable for him. Out of the ground the Lord God formed every beast of the field, and every bird of the sky, and brought them to the man to see what he would call them; and whatever the man called a living creature, that was its name.  The man gave names to all the cattle, and to the birds of the sky, and to every beast of the field, but for Adam there was not found a helper suitable for him (Gen 2:18-20, NASB1995).  It is clear to see that man’s companion was not to be found among the animals.   Man needed a helper as his counterpart or another half to complete him.

Marriage

“And the Lord God caused a deep sleep to fall on Adam, and he slept; and He took one of his ribs, and closed up the flesh in its place. Then the rib which the Lord God had taken from man He made into a woman, and He brought her to the man” (Gen. 2:21-22, NKJV).  

Now, the Bible doesn’t say so, but there is no doubt that God took the woman he had made and breathed the breath of life into her nostrils so that woman also became a living soul.

 “And Adam said: this is now bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh; she shall be called woman, because she was taken out of man. Therefore a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and they shall become one flesh.  And they were both naked, the man and his wife, and were not ashamed”  (Gen 2:23-25, NKJV).   Please note that Adam did not name his new wife immediately; we will see that he named her much later.

We have before us the first wedding.  Here, God has joined male and female together, becoming “one flesh.” Man is incomplete without woman, and woman is incomplete without man, but they complete and complement each other when joined together.  Man has a rugged and strong body and a mind capable of clear, firm, and profound thinking, but he lacks some of the finer grains of character that women possess.  Therefore, marriage is according to the divine institution, that holy estate in which one man and one woman become united with one another unto one flesh.   Marriage was ordained for two reasons: First, there was to be the ideal companionship and love of husband and wife for each other.  Second, marriage was given as a means by which man would be propagated.

The companionship and love of husband and wife must be complete on three levels: union on the spiritual level, union on the intellectual level, and union on a physical level.  Man and woman must be one in a spiritual sense.  Undoubtedly, this first man and woman were one in the spirit.  They were in complete fellowship with God and were under his divine control.

We can understand what they jointly possessed when we read Galatians chapter five: “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control” (Gal. 5:22-23a, NKJV). How can there be a lack of harmony between a man and his wife when they each reflect the fruit of the spirit?  There can be no conflict if God is their source.

A husband and wife must also be one on the intellectual level. A spouse cannot be the needed and desired companion without sharing some common interests. A large part of the partners’ emotional support comes from a deep understanding of and a commitment to a common purpose. Unless we are united in interest and purpose, we cannot be completely united spiritually.

Last but not least is the union on the physical level.  The intimate physical relationship between husband and wife is not something to be ashamed of.  It is God-given.  God ordained this relationship, and it must remain under God’s control.  The physical relationship of husband and wife is a beautiful experience and is the highest expression of love, joy, and fulfillment between two human beings.  It is the most profound expression of human love as each partner completely surrenders body, soul, and spirit to the other.  

The highest fulfillment is when husband and wife are entirely “one in the flesh” spiritually, intellectually, and physically.  The experience is incomplete outside marriage, and God has warned us against perverting it.  The strength of the sex drive is second only to the drive for survival, and to remove it from God’s control leads to disastrous circumstances.

In a beautiful and fulfilling way, God chose the physical union of males and females as a means of reproducing themselves.  We pass on to our offspring a part of our living self continually passed on from generation to generation.  “So God created man in His own image; in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them. Then God blessed them, and God said to them, Be fruitful and multiply; fill the earth and subdue it” (Gen. 1:27-28a, NKJV).

The Marriage Covenant

God created mankind in His image to have relationships – between God and man and between each other. Jesus greatly emphasized how we react, love, and treat others. Our status in heaven seems to be based on our relationships on earth. The Bible teaches that God’s grace through faith saves us and gets us to heaven, but our works (relationships) determine what we do in heaven (see Eph. 2:8-10).

The marriage of a man and woman is a covenant relationship made in the presence of God. We take our vows to remain married until we die.

Human marriage is a type of marriage that a saved person has with Jesus. When we trust in Jesus’ payment for our sins on the cross, we become children of God and have a unique and forever relationship with Jesus. We enter into a New Covenant relationship with him. The apostle John said, “By this we know that we abide in Him, and He in us, because He has given us of His Spirit” (1 John 4:13, NKJV).

Just like human marriage, our marriage and relationship with Jesus become closer and deeper as we mature in our Christian experience. Today, we have people who have clinically died and have been resuscitated. Some have claimed to have gone to heaven and claimed to have met Jesus and returned to tell us about Him.

In his book Imagine Heaven, John Burke, a pastor from Austin, Texas, makes the following statement after studying some of these people in his research, “Imagine an intimacy and oneness that trumps all other relational intimacies, unites all people, and takes away all the mourning, crying, and pain of our past. It’s coming” (Imagine Heaven, Baker Books, Chapter thirteen, eBook pp 978-979).

I believe this is what our marriage to Jesus will look like in Heaven. Note however, that some people believe in “Out-of-body experiences,” and others don’t. We have several pastors who have had this experience and have shared their public testimony.

The family is composed of two spouses and often children. God sees the unit as a fundamental building block of any society, people group, or nation. As the structure of the family unit changes, so does the country. The deterioration of the family unit often results in the nation’s decay.

The Bible provides two examples of types in the marriage covenant: God the Father’s relationship with the nation of Israel and Jesus’ relationship with the universal church.

We are given the marriage vows between God the Father and Israel in the book of Exodus. In  Ex.19:3-5, God makes a marriage proposal to Israel; in Ex.19:7-8, we have Israel’s response.

We also read the following verses from the Old Testament about God’s relationship with Israel.

“Behold, the days are coming, says the Lord, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah—not according to the covenant that I made with their fathers in the day that I took them by the hand to lead them out of the land of Egypt, My covenant which they broke, though I was a husband to them, says the Lord” (Jer. 31:31-32, NKJV).

“For your Maker is your husband, The Lord of hosts is His name; and your Redeemer is the Holy One of Israel; He is called the God of the whole earth” (Isa.54:5, NKJV).

The Book of Hosea draws a parallel between Hosea and his wife and God and Israel. Hosea’s wife, Gomer, committed physical adultery against Hosea, and Israel committed spiritual adultery against God. This is the picture that this book of prophecy presents.

As stated above, in the New Testament, Jesus and the Church have a special relationship. Now we will look at Scriptural support for this relationship,

John the Baptist refers to Jesus as a groom in the Gospel of John. We read these words, “John [the Baptist] answered and said, ‘A man can receive nothing unless it has been given to him from heaven. You yourselves bear me witness, that I said, ‘I am not the Christ,’ but, ‘I have been sent before Him.’ He who has the bride is the bridegroom; but the friend of the bridegroom, who stands and hears him, rejoices greatly because of the bridegroom’s voice. Therefore this joy of mine is fulfilled” (John 3:27-29, NKJV).

John the Baptist referred to himself as a friend of the bridegroom—he spoke of Jesus, the bridegroom. If Jesus is the bridegroom, then who is the bride?

The apostle Paul wrote these words to the Church at Ephesus. “Wives, submit to your own husbands, as to the Lord. For the husband is head of the wife, as also Christ is head of the church; and He is the Savior of the body. Therefore, just as the church is subject to Christ, so let the wives be to their own husbands in everything” (Eph. 5:22-24, NKJV).

“Marriage demonstrates to the world the beauty of Jesus Christ’s relationship with His Bride, the Church” (Google).

“The ekklēsia [Church] is never explicitly called ‘the bride of Christ’ in the New Testament. That is approached in Ephesians 5:22–33. A major analogy is that of the body. Just as husband and wife are to be ‘one flesh’, this analogy for the writer describes the relationship of Christ and ekklēsia [Church] (Google).

In the Book of Revelation, the apostle John records seeing a wedding feast in heaven. “And I heard, as it were, the voice of a great multitude, as the sound of many waters and as the sound of mighty thunderings, saying, ‘Alleluia! For the Lord God Omnipotent reigns! Let us be glad and rejoice and give Him glory, for the marriage of the Lamb has come, and His wife has made herself ready.’ And to her it was granted to be arrayed in fine linen, clean and bright, for the fine linen is the righteous acts of the saints” (Rev. 19:6-9, NKJV).

The groom is Jesus, but who is the bride? Many Biblical scholars believe it is the raptured church.

Scripture quotations marked NKJV are taken from the New King James Version of the Bible, copyright © 1979, 1980, 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Scripture quotations marked NASB1995 are taken from the New American Standard Bible, copyright © 1960, 1971,1977, 1995, by The Lockman Foundation, LA Habra, California.  Used by permission. All rights reserved.

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